Means for locking nuts on screw-bolts, shafts, and the like.



HJ. HEDD ERWICK. MEANS FOR LOCKING NUTS 'ON SCREW BOLTS, SHAFTS, AND THE LIKE.

APPUCATION FILED JAN- 12 l9l4- v 1 1 99,548 Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

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Inventor.

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MEANS FOR LOCKING NUTS 0N SCREW BOLTS, SHAFTS, AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN-12.1914. 1 ,1 99,548. Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

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HAROLD JAMES HEDDEBWICK, OF HILLHEAD, GLASGOW, SCOTLAND.

MEANS FOR LOOKING NUTS 0N SCREW-BOLTS, SHAFTS, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

Application filed January 12, 1914. Serial No. 811,571.

To all whom it may concern V Be it known that I, HAROLD JAMES HED- DERWIGK, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 3 Florentine Gardens, Hillhead, Glasgow, Scotland,

have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Means for Looking Nuts on Screw-Bolts, Shafts, and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improved means for positively locking nuts on screw bolts, shafts, and the like, hereinafter generally referred to as bolts, of the type of locking device which is applied to the nut after the nut has been screwed onto its bolt, or in other words, which is applied from the top of the nut.

For locking nuts on bolts, it has been proposed to provide a device adapted to be fitted on to the exterior of the nut, and when the nut is screwed home, deformed by being bent, so as to enter into locking engagement with the bolt, the device being released from looking engagement with the bolt, when required, by unbending the portion previously deformed. Devices of this character necessitate the useof special tools to produce the required bending and unbending, and the material of whichthe devices are made must necessarily be of a ductile or pliable character to permit the required bending to be effected.

According to this invention a locking device has side members, some or all of which act to prevent endwise dislodgment when the device is applied to a nut, and the side members of the device, or only the side members which act to prevent endwise dislodgment, or the device itself, are or is formed from metal, having sufficient inherent spring, so that when the device is applied, after the nut has been screwed home, the side members for preventing endwise dislodginent engage with the sides of the nut by springing into position. In all cases, each device is manufactured with all its parts ready for effecting their required engagements, and in i no case is the engagement efiected by deformation of the device after application. The device or portions thereof may be made non-rusting or non-corroding, or composed of metal having these qualities. 4

Locking devices constructed according to this invention are for use in conjunction with a nut of ordinary pattern, having any number of flat sides, the nut tor th p r poses of the invention in some cases being modified by having acircumferential recess formed at its base, or in its sides, or with the equivalent thereof. A bolt for use in connection with this invention is formed with a slot extending transversely through the end of the bolt, and a locking device as constructed according to this invention has a-bar formed as an undivided part with and extending transversely across the head of the device, adapted to enter into engagement with the slot, the head being formed to entirely surround. the end of the bolt, associated with two or more side arms, which extend from the head, adapted to lie against and embrace opposite sides of the nut, each side arm covering or embracing a wide area of its respective side of the nut for the purpose of positively locking together the nut and bolt. A locking device for this purpose may be cut or stamped from sheet metal having a head part, formed to lie on the top of the nut and surround the end of the bolt, and having its bar formed asan undivided part therewith, adapted to enter into engagement with the slot formed in the end of the bolt, and from the rim of the head part, two or more side arms extend, each formed to cover or embrace a wide area, the arms being arranged so as to lie and bear against opposite, or several, sides of the nut, and act in conjunction with the bar to lock the nut against rotation. The lower part of each side arm. or of each of some of the side arms, is formed with a jaw to enter into engagement with a circumferential recess, or the equivalent thereof, on the vnut, and hold the device against endwise dislodgment. To remove the locking device, the side arms, acting to prevent endwise dislodgment are sprung out of engagement, and the device is adapted to be quickly and completely removed, and the nut screwed off by an ordinary spanner in the usual manner.

As an alternative to forming a circumferential recess at the base of the nut an equivalent result may be obtained by providing a washer of appropriate diameter placed beneath the nut.

The device may be formed with side arms adapted to bear against all sides of the nut. The bar of the device may be disposed in any fixed angular directionrelative to the side arms. The bend at the junction of the side arms with the head of the devi e may be quick, for example, approximating to a right angle, or easier by increasing the radius so as to form a small loop or bow.

In the construction of devices, according to this invention, each of the side arms, which are required to have spring, must practically be free except at the junction of the side arm and the head part of the device.

Some examples of constructions. according to this invention will now'be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is'a sectionalelevation and Fig. 2 is a perspective'view of the end of a bolt with nut and locking device applied. Fig. 3 is a side elevation and Fig. l is aplan of a nut with a modified form of locking device applied. Fig. 5 is a plan and Fig. 6 is a side elevation of .a'nut withamodified locking device applied. Fig. 7 is an inverted plan and Fig. 8 is a side elevation of a nut with a modified locking device applied. Fig. 9 is a side elevation and Fig. '10 is a plan of a nut with -a modified locking device applied. Fig. '11 is asectional elevation, Fig. 12 is a side elevation, Fig. 13 is a plan, and Fig. 1% isa side elevation of the end of a bolt with nut and modified locking device applied. Fig. 15 is a plan and Fig. 16-is a side elevation of a nut and modified locking device applied. Fj171is a side elevation, Fig. 18 is an end view :andFig. 19 is a sectional plan of a 'nut and modified locking device applied. .Fig. 20 is a side elevation and Fig. 21 is a part sectional plan of a nut and modified locking device applied. Fig. 22 is a side elevation and Fig. 23 is a part sectional planof a nut and modified locking device applied. Fig. 24 is a sectional elevation of the end of'a .bolt with nutand a modified locking device applied.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the end of a bolt A is formed with a slot, A extending transverselythrough its end, and a nut B is formed at its base with acircumferential recess B and the device, for locking the nut "B upon'the'bolt A, consists of 'ahead part C of approximately circular outline which is adapted to surround'theend of'the bolt, A, associated with abar D, formed as an undivided part of the head part, C, which is adaptedto engage withthe slot A in the end of the bolt A. Extending from the head part C there are side arms E, one only of which is seen, adapted'to lie against opposite sides'o'f the nut B, each of the side armsE being turned inward at its end toform a jaw E for engagement with the circumferential recess B In this form of construction and inthe others'illustrated, each jaw is. made. about as long as the width ofone .ofthe'fiat sides.of.the nut. The

bond :at :the junction "of the side arms E proximately at a right angle. Each of the side arms E is beveled away on its inner side at E to facilitate the entrance of an instrument for springing the sidearms E out when the device is to be removed from the nut B.

In some of the figures described, the side arms E are for clearness of illustration shown at a slight distance away from the sides of the nut B, but in practice they would invariably be in surface contact therewith.

In Figs. 3 and 4, in addition to side'arms E, for preventing endwise dislodgment of the locking device from'the nut B when applied thereto, subsidiary sidepieces E are provided to lie against sides of the nut B. D is the bar.

In the construction shown at Figs. 5 and 6 side arms E are provided and subsidiary side pieces E having curved edges are provided to lie against the sides of the nut B.

D is the bar.

In the construction shown at Figs. 7 and '8 side arms E having jaws E are provided and additional side arms E are provided, each of the latter'being free except at the junction withthe head'partC, and having a tendency by spring action to lie against the respective sides of the-nut B.

Figs. 9 and 10 show a construction in which a downwardly extending rim E -in the form of a continuous band is provided for encircling the top edge of the nut Bto which the locking device is applied. In this case the'junction of each side arm E with the head partC is at the base of the rim E. D is the bar.

'In Figs. 11, 12, 1'3 and 14 a device is shown having an embossed inverted channeledbar D, the embossing being extended downtheside arms E as shown at D At the foot of each ofthe sidearms-E a pocket E isformed to receive the point of an in- '16 tongues 'H, which are fixed against endwise movement relative to the device, are provided, and so arranged that by pressing the tongues H toward one another the side arms "E may be released and the device drawn out of locking engagementwith the nutB. D is the bar.

In the construction shown at Figs. 17,118 and 19 the device is 'furnishedwith a strap C to give greater strength and rigidity. The strap C as shown is composed of. thicker metalthan the'other parts of the device .and lies beneath-the head part C. The bar D consists o'fia portion of .the strap and. a bar connectingthe sideportionsofthe head part C. The side arms E are provided with jaws E The construction shown at Figs. and 21 comprises extensions E from the head part C which are bent down so as to overlap sides of the nut B, the ends of the extensions E being turned out to engage with the sides of an aperture in the side arms-E.

The construction shown at Figs. 22 and 23 consists of a head part C having extensions E connected to the head by ties E". The extensions E are arranged to almost encircle the nut B and have ends which are turned out to engage with apertures in the side arms E.

In the construction shown at Fig. 24 the bar D is arched in order to give greater travel to the nut B on the bolt A.

I claim:

A device for looking a nut against rotation on a bolt, the nut having flat sides, said device comprising a head part constituting an encircling portion adapted to surround the end of the bolt and lie upon the flat surface of the top of the nut, a bar extending diametrically entirely across the aperture in the encircling portion and formed at each end as a part of the side of the encircling portion, said bar being provided for engagement with a slot extending transversely through the end of the bolt, side arms extending from the head part, the side arms being formed each to cover a wide surface area, two only of the side arms having each at its lower part a jaw about as long as the width of one of the flat sides of the nut, each of the two side arms being practically free except at the junction with thehead part and having inherent spring permitting the jaws to be sprung into engagement when the device is applied from the top of the nut, and the two side arms arranged to lie against and embrace opposite sides of the nut, for the purposes set forth.

' HAROLD JAMES HEDDERWIGK. WVitnesses:

J. ALFRED BREWER, ROBERT A. GRAY.

Copies of thlo patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of ratentl, Washington, D. G. 

